Framingham man was victim of Thursday's fatal car crash in Lancaster

Harold E. Johnson, 91, of Framingham, died after being involved in a three-car crash on Thursday afternoon in Lancaster. (SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / FILE PHOTO)

LANCASTER -- Police confirmed the man killed on Thursday in a three-car crash on Lunenburg Road was a Framingham resident.

Harold E. Johnson, 91, of 16 Neville Road, Framingham, died after the Honda he was driving rear-ended a Toyota driven by an Ashburnham woman who was stopped to turn into Kimball Farms,according to police Lt. Everett Moody.

After Johnson's car struck the Toyota, it careened into the path of a pick-up truck driven by a Shirley man that was traveling in the opposite direction and the two vehicles collided head-on, said Moody.

Johnson was removed from his vehicle by firefighters using the Jaws of Life extricating tool and transported to the trauma center at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster, where he was later pronounced dead, said Moody.

The Shirley man was taken to Nashoba Medical Center in Ayer with minor injuries, said Moody, who added the man was walking around immediately after the crash, conscious and alert.

The Ashburnham woman declined medical treatment at the scene, he said.

The accident is being investigated by the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council's crash reconstruction team, said Moody, who said he didn't expect any citations to be issued.

Authorities from departments including Lancaster, Shirley and Leominster responded to the scene.

Thursday's collision is the third major motor-vehicle fatal crash in Lancaster since June 23.

A local man died after his car crashed into a tree near the intersection of Lunenburg Road and North Main Street on June 30.

Advertisement

A week earlier, a Lancaster woman and Catholic school guidance counselor in Leominster died after her car rolled over on Lee Street.

"Though the last two weeks have been a difficult time for our town, rest assured that we remain committed to ensuring public safety for the residents and visitors to our town.

"Please join me in offering prayers for the victims of these terrible accidents, and prayers for our first responders who have had to see/deal with a tremendous amount of heartbreak these past two weeks," wrote Grasso.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.